Dramatic storm spouts captured over Northern Rivers town

Dramatic storm spouts captured over Northern Rivers town

THESE spectacular images of a funnel cloud were posted on Northern NSW Severe Weather's Facebook page this afternoon.

"We seem to be seeing a few spouts forming today," the group posted.

"These were taken at 1:10pm looking over Coraki, NSW, from Caniaba Rd and Bruxner Hwy."

Storm over Coraki on September 6.Northern NSW Storm Watch

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a landspout looks like a slender tornado over land, "but is not associated with an organised rotating cloud, does not form below a wall cloud and is generally not intense enough to do much damage".

"The mechanism which forms a landspout is similar to the waterspout: relatively cool air passing over hot ground produces updraughts and cumulus clouds," the BOM website explains.

"Random swirls can be caught up in an updraught and so tighten up into a funnel which is made visible by raised dust, rather than by condensation of moisture."